Working from Home & Why It's Awesome!

Working from home— is it good for your business? Some say yes, some say no, and many are on the fence. I think it’s the bee’s knees and not just because I can work while wearing sweat pants (as if that isn’t enough).

People tend to point out that working from home means encountering distractions of all shapes and sizes. I get it. Catching up on your favorite TV shows while responding to emails seems like a reasonable plan, but it’s not. You’re in a place where you’re probably the most comfortable, so the temptation to be counterproductive can be a bit challenging to overcome. Don’t worry, you can do this. Here’s a few ways on how to make it happen and a few reasons why it could be super beneficial to your business.

The How:

Pick a room or a spot in your home and deem it the Work-Zone. You might already have an office set up in your home, which is great. What’s most important about this room or space that you’ve designed to use for work is that at the end of the day you can walk away from it, preferably close the door, and enjoy the rest of your home as a work-free zone.

Have some self-control, my friend. So you’ve created your Work-Zone— that’s just the first step, my friends. Now you have to actually work in it! But that should be easy; you’re a professional, for crying out loud! Just keep in mind you’ll be tempted to wander from your desk, so it’s better if you set goals for yourself each day. If you know you’d love to work from home but you’re easily distracted, time yourself. Hunker down for a three hours and then take a lunch break, just like you would if you were at the office. It’s good for mind, body, and soul to take time away from your Work-Zone so you can recharge, then come back to it after an hour.

Find a good spot locally to meet with clients. You may not want clients paying you house visits, or you may not mind. But then again, your clients may not feel comfortable talking business in your humble abode. Whatever the case may be, it’s a good idea to find a place to meet. The choice may be a cafe, a bookstore, a restaurant— wherever you decide, make sure it offers free wifi and a bit of quiet so that you and your client can focus on the tasks at hand.

The Why:

Save. That. Money. Running your own business can be costly, and one of the most expensive aspects is having an office. Rent and utilities alone can be a huge chunk of the expenses you’re paying for having an office building. You also save on transportation and fuel costs that you’d encounter when driving to and from the office. By working at home, you’ll be able to save on these costs and goodness knows, your business budget could always welcome extra breathing room.

No commute? No problem. Not only do you save money on transportation costs, you’ll also save time. The average commute ranges from 25-30 minutes, which means an hour a day is dedicated solely to getting to work and getting back home. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but when all you have to do is get up and start working in your home office right at 9am, you’re putting time back into your workflow. It’s amazing what you can do in an hour, so do it!

Get a life! No seriously, it’ll be easier to have one when you’re saving all that extra time by working from home. Whether it’s spending more time with your family, getting out for a happy hour somewhere, or hiking a mountain, being able to go out into the world and enjoy your life— separate from work, mind you— is always good for you. Bogging yourself down with work 24/7 isn’t healthy, even though I must commend anyone that works nonstop to get to the top. Just remember, all work and no play makes for a very dull professional!

So, you see, working from home can be the perfect fit for you and your event business. Whether you’re a newbie to the biz or you’ve been in the game for quite some time, you can definitely reap some major benefits when you create the perfect work set-up at your residence. And things can only get better if you get & stay organized with Inspherio. Working in pajamas and keeping your business in order with a great program like Inspherio— match made in heaven.

If you haven’t already, test out our free 30 day trial and then join the Inspherio Family. Don’t be shy, we’ve been waiting for you!

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Financing Tips for Event Industry Professionals

So, after much consideration and relentless planning, you've finally decided to start your own event business. You’re finally here— hooray! Even though you've still got quite a few things to do, you've taken the first step and that is definitely worth a high five.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty— financing. As a new business owner, you’ll notice how vital it is that you spend time focusing on how and where you spend your money, as well as how and where you receive it. After all, your business’s financial situation is what will cause your business to sink or swim. But don’t worry, we’re here to offer you floaties with a couple of things to keep in mind when considering your event business’s finances:

Spending money...

It’s probably one of the more difficult parts of starting a business, but drafting a budget is an absolute must. You need to maintain the details on the how much money you have now, how much you can spend, and how much you need to bring in to keep the business going. You’re going to have quite a few required expenses— paying taxes, paying any employees you may have, equipment cost, keeping inventory stocked, and more. It’s important to keep track of all of this so that you can stick to your budget and be prepared for tax time. With a program like Inspherio, you’ll have the ability to keep your expenses, invoices, and payments detailed and recorded so there’s never any question as to where money is going.

There’s also the expense of marketing your company— you've got to get your name out there! Luckily for you, there are several cost-effective ways to do this, such as email marketing (pssst, Inspherio offers a great feature for this!) Facebook Ads, Twitter, and so forth. However, if your budget allows, you may want to put some cash towards promoting your company’s name with business cards, advertisements, promotional parties, and more.

It wouldn't hurt to also consider looking in to ways to save money. If you’re just starting the engines of your event business, consider working from home. Just remember to be disciplined with your time and to keep a nicely drawn line between your work-space and the rest of your home. Trust us, this is well worth the consideration when there’s so much time & money to be saved by working from your humble abode— you’ll be offered with the flexibilities many don’t see when going into the office and you’ll see results in your productivity. Oh, and you’ll have extra room in your budget. It’s a win/win!

Getting money...

Pricing your services can be tricky in the beginning. You’re no different than your client when it comes to being a consumer, so you probably appreciate decent pricing for high quality services. Here are a couple of factors to consider:

Location, location, location. Creating a price for your services may really depend on your whereabouts. If you’re living in an area that brings in an influx of people due to peak seasons, then you may want your service pricing to reflect that; for example, your prices may go up during the spring seasons or during the holidays, and lower during the off-seasons.

You and your experience. This can really play a role into how much you charge clients. If your business is newer to the game, you may find yourself sending out lower prices than those of the big-time players you’re up against. However, offering prices that are too low will make it appear as though your services lack quality. Don’t sell yourself short— find a happy medium and stick to it.

This is quite a bit of information, I know, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Though these things are very important to your event business, it’s all doable. You’ve come this far and there’s no way you can stop now! And guess what? You’re literally reading a blog from the inside of one of the best online business management tools out there! Inspherio can help you keep your finances organized and up to date so that you can keep from breaching the budget.

Get your business up and running with Inspherio and get it for free for the first 30 days. That’s pretty perfect for that business budget!

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Check out our revamped Invoices!

Sometimes all you have to do is ask...and we’ll listen! We’re excited to let you know that we’ve done a little revamping with the Invoice feature of Inspherio! Bills don’t have to be boring, so we spiced things up a bit!

Here’s a look at some of the changes we made:

-You now have the ability to ‘Write Off’ invoices inside the invoice page. This will show up in your Financial Summary, Profit & Loss Reports, Expenses, and Write Off Reports.

-You can now view invoices by category, such as Paid, Pending, To Notify, Notified, and more.

-You have the ability to Record Payments, Void, and Delete directly inside the invoice page.

-Invoices now have a sleeker and simpler look to them!

We know some of you have done a lot of customization inside your Inspherio account. If you currently have customized invoices, the new Invoice design is optional but if you want to check it out and adopt all of the capabilities, just ask us how! For all our visual learners, here's a great Help Video!

If you have any other questions about our new revamped invoice feature, you can always call or chat with us during our regular business hours (9am to 6pm EST) and we’re also available via email around the clock!

Not signed up for Inspherio yet? Don't miss out! Sign up for our free 30 day trial and see all the amazing features it has to offer you and your business!

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Are YOU ready for this Wedding Season?

Ahh. The air is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and people are, well, getting married. Spring season is once again rolling back around and it’s practically raining leads. You’re keeping the umbrella at bay because you want them all— you’re more than ready to show each and every lead that you’re perfectly capable of giving them the wedding of a lifetime. So we’re wondering, once you've gotten all your clients in a row and you start knocking out weddings like a champ, are you doing it all without pulling your hair out?

Using pen & paper or several different computer programs to keep your invoices and payments in line may be something you've just gotten used to; therefore, you might be convinced that if it gets the job done then there’s no use in changing it. But think about all the time you’re using searching for an invoice that shows a bride still owes you a chunk of change. This business isn’t for the faint of heart and you’re anything but— you’re smart, strong, and you know that eventually you’ll find what you’re looking for and so maybe that’s why you’re sticking to such organized chaos. We’re here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way because with Inspherio we’re focused on the better of those two words: organized. We just want to let you in on the magic of managing your business online, seamlessly, all in one place.

Inspherio was created by event professionals for events professionals, and we believe in the importance of time management. You’ll have the ability to manage leads, employees, finances, and events with a single program— hassle free. And to put the icing on the cake, we offer the best prices for the best service. It may seem to good to be true, but believe it. Inspherio is here to give you back time. Put down all those papers and close out all of those programs and join Inspherio. Come on, take a bite. You’ll fall in love with saving time and keeping your hair on. We guarantee it.

Inspherio offers a free 30 Day Trial so that you can root around and see what the program has to offer. Sign up, take it for a spin, and feel free to reach out to our awesome support team whenever you feel like you've taken a wrong turn— we’re here to steer you in the right direction.

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